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National (4×6.5)
For the National 4.5×6 and 6×6 folders, see National and Ugein. The National (ナショナル) is a Japanese folding camera, taking both 4×6.5 and 3×4 pictures on 127 film and distributed by Eikōdō from 1936 to 1938. Dates: , p.338. The actual maker is unknown: it might be Tōa Kōki, which made the contemporary Semi National and National Six. All the models are vertical folders, with the advance knob at the bottom right, as seen by the photographer holding the camera horizontally, and all have an Elka shutter giving 25, 50, 100, B speeds. First version: frame finder The first version of the National has a folding frame finder, with two bars in the front frame to indicate the 3×4 image size. It is said that the Elka shutter is dial-set in the earliest reported advertisement, in July 1936, whereas it is rim-set in all later advertisements. , p.338. An advertisement in the June 1st, 1935 issue of Advertisement on p.9, reproduced on p.27 of Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku. says that the National cameras were distributed by Eikōdō; it is not known if it corresponds to the 4×6.5 rollfilm camera or to another National model. In an advertisement in March 1937, Advertisement reproduced in , p.80. the National is offered in three lens versions: * Torioner Inferred from the katakana トリオナー and from the TORIONER marking in , item 1209. f/6.8 ( ); * Heliostar Inferred from the katakana ヘリオスター. f/6.3 ( ); * Venner The adverisement reads ベンナー in katakana, probably designating the Venner lens made by Ginrei Kōki. f/4.5 ( ). The camera pictured in the advertisement corresponds to the f/4.5 version. It has incurved folding struts and the lens standard is hinged to the foot of these struts in the usual way. The folding bed release is placed to the right of the viewfinder and intentionally looks like a body release. It seems that the lens is front-cell focusing. The front leather is embossed National. The only surviving example observed so far is pictured in and has a fixed focus 70mm f/6.8 lens marked TORIONER. , item 1209. It has some differences with the camera pictured in the advertisements: the folding struts are straight except for a small triangular hump and the lens standard is hinged to about the middle of these struts. The front leather has no markings but it is perhaps not original. It is not known if these features correspond to a version made at a different date or to the f/6.8 version only. Second version: tubular finder The second version has a rigid tubular finder, again with two bars in the front frame for 3×4 pictures. The advertisement in April 1937 Advertisement reproduced in , p.72. lists the same lens options as in March, at an unchanged price, except that the Heliostar lens name is written Hemiostar, Inferred from the katakana ヘミオスター. presumably a typo. In the advertisement in the June 1938 issue of the same magazine, Advertisement reproduced in , p.81. all the lenses are called Torioner or perhaps Trionar (トリオナー). The spelling Torioner is found on the example pictured in , item 1209, but a Trionar f/4.5 lens is reported in , item 1035, and , p.261, on the Collex, a contemporary camera also distributed by Eikōdō. The prices are slightly higher: * Trionar/Torioner f/6.8 ( ); * Trionar/Torioner f/6.3 ( ); * Trionar/Torioner f/4.5 ( ). No surviving example of that version has yet been observed. Notes Bibliography * Item 157. (See also the advertisements for items 109 and 158–9.) * P.261. * P.27, corresponding to p.9 of the June 1st, 1935 issue. * Item 1209. Category: Japanese 4x6.5 viewfinder folding Category: N Category: 1936